1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to containers for safely disposing used medical instruments and, more particularly, to a sharps disposal container adapted for disposing of pen syringe needles.
2. Description of Related Art
Disposal of standard medical sharps, such as surgical knives, blades, hypodermic needles and the like is a problem for hospitals and other healthcare facilities. Used sharps may become contaminated by body fluids and the like creating a hazard for anyone that may handle them following their use. Hospitals have developed stringent policy procedures for the safe disposal of used sharps, such as requiring sharps disposal containers in the emergency and examining rooms, and each patient room. Because of their potentially dangerous nature, particularly with present concerns regarding accidental transmittal of infectious diseases and syringe reuse, typical sharps disposal containers are designed not only to permit disposal but also to prevent unintentional contact with or theft of any object deposited in the disposal container.
The present growing trend of providing home healthcare tremendously increases the potential for inadvertent handling of used sharps, particularly of needles used in the home. Many patients must administer multiple doses of medication daily. Some home patients use syringes, and some use Pen syringes, while some patients use both. A pen syringe is particularly suitable for administering such multiple doses. An example of such pen syringes and pen syringe needles may be found is U.S. Pat. No. 6,146,361. Typically, pen needles are threadably engaged to pen syringes. The patient must therefore safely dispose many needles, especially pen syringe needles.
Openings to the sharps containers have been adapted with specific features to allow the removal of various standard sharps from a medical device and deposition within the container, however the design of pen syringe needles presents a problem, in that the diameter of a pen syringe needle is typically larger than the diameter of the standard hypodermic needle. There is a need therefore, for a container for disposing pen syringe needles, in which the container may be economically manufactured while providing an adequate level of safety to the user, and yet preventing unintentional exiting of sharps from within the container, and proved for easy removal of pen needles from the pen syringe, without allowing used needles to exit the container.
Medical care provided in the patient's home exposes not only the patient but also other individuals without medical experience to the inherent dangers of used needles. Existing sharps disposal containers typically include specially adapted orifices that permit sharps, such as needles, to be placed within the container, however a design that allowed removal of pen syringe needles has been lacking. Furthermore, removal of pen syringe sharps with a single hand would be desirable for a patient. Existing Sharps containers have openings to provide for access of the used sharps into the container, a majority of these openings are configured for removal of hypodermic syringe and blood access needles. What is needed is a container that has an opening suitable for removal of pen needles, utilizing a single hand. However, a simple opening, (for example a hole sized to allow entrance of a pen needle) to allow the removal of pen needles may allow used sharps to exit the container. Furthermore, what is needed is an opening designed to remove pen needles without allowing other sharps within the container to exit the container.
A simple opening that is sized for a pen needle, engages the pen needle, and allows unthreading of the pen needle from the pen syringe has the disadvantage that it requires a secondary operation to disengage the pen needle from the opening to allow it to fall into the sharps container. Prior art devices require the user to unthread the pen needle by inserting the pen injector into a port with a circular arrangement of multiple teeth, which fully encircle the pen needle. Once this is accomplished, the pen needle must be pushed through with a secondary component in a secondary operation. Before this occurs, there is risk of an accidental needlestick from the exposed proximal end of the pen needle. In addition, there is a possibility of this separate secondary component being lost or misplaced. In this event, the pen needle would be retained within with the port, with little remedy for pushing the pen needle through or pulling the pen needle out. In addition, the prior art devices may not be compatible with all pen syringes. Furthermore, what is needed is a design that requires only a single operation by the patient to allow the pen needle to enter the sharps container and eliminates any secondary operations.